This Is The Hidden Secret To A Healthy Gut That No One Told You About
There’s an abundance of information about how you can build a healthy gut. You hear about prebiotics, probiotics, fasting, eliminating gluten and dairy if it doesn’t suit you, and looking into food allergens and intolerances. Yes, these are indeed important. But when we get into complications, most of us often miss out on the fundamentals. What I want to introduce to you today is the concept of the gut microbiome ecosystem.
Everyone talks about gut health. But what exactly is it? It starts from your mouth and how you chew your food, how much saliva it mixes with, and how you swallow it. Then it goes down to your stomach, where powerful digestive enzymes break it down. Your pancreas, gallbladder, and stomach acids are involved in the process. If you have too much or too little stomach acid – you struggle with gut issues. Then you move further down into the small intestine. It is the place that holds your entire gut microbiome.
What is the gut microbiome?
Think of your gut microbiome as an ecosystem – a field of trillions of fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Both good and bad bacteria live in this intelligent ecosystem. When this microbiome is in balance, everything in your body works well.
80% of your immunity lies in your gut. So, beyond immunity, your gut health is also responsible for regulating your metabolism, hormonal imbalance, and emotional health. Did you know your gut is also known as the second brain? Because it can influence how you feel and think. When it comes to depression and anxiety, this is why your gut health needs to be a part of your healing and recovery protocol.
If there’s chaos in your gut microbiome, there will be disharmony in every cell of your body. It explains why every disease – from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to cancer, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and hormonal imbalances is connected with your gut health. You cannot leave your gut out of the equation of healing anything.
Some people think taking more powerful probiotics will help. They move from 50 billion colony-forming units (CFU) to 100 billion CFU, thinking more probiotics are better. But it doesn’t always work like that.
What we need to understand while we make dietary and lifestyle changes for a balanced gut microbiome, we are missing one crucial connection. It is the connection between the gut microbiome ecosystem within us with the ecosystem outside.
How can you use the power of nature for good gut health?
The more time you spend in nature, the more positively you impact your gut microbiome. Whether it’s a 15-minute walk, stopping to look at the flowers, touching a tree, standing by the seaside, or even breathing in different environments is good for your gut.
Most of us are stuck at home or in closed spaces, especially with Work From Home becoming a way of life in cities. Make it a point to step out. Your gut microbiome is an ecosystem within you that loves and thrives on diversity.
Yes, eating fresh fruits and vegetables helps you populate your microbiome. Making every meal look like a rainbow with the right balance helps increase diversity. But beyond this, your gut microbiome needs to talk to the natural ecosystem. We all know that viruses, fungi, and bacteria have an intelligence of their own.
Let’s take a simple example. You are in a closed room. You can grow bacteria and fungi on the wall by adding moisture and playing around with the temperature. To kill that same bacteria and fungi, you may open the windows and doors and allow nature to do its work.
Simple tips to use nature for a healthier gut
Play with mud
We all know about touching mud and the benefits of soil. A little container of mud will have billions of microbes. When you touch it, it connects with your skin, gets under your nails, and into your body to create harmony within your gut. Your gut and immune system get more powerful when you are exposed to microbes from the soil.
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Have a soil box at home or create a mud pit
Order organic and chemical-free soil free from animal or bird poop or urine. Play with that mud for five minutes a day. It is relaxing and therapeutic. You will feel deeply connected with the earth. It works beautifully for people who live in cities with limited spaces.
Set up a home garden or have plants on the balcony
If you live in a bigger space, set up your little home garden. Have plants on the balcony if you don’t have space. But connect with nature, plants, and soil.
Spend time in various natural environments
The more time you spend in nature, you breathe in different microbes. Do it because it is healing for you in every way. One big benefit when you connect with nature is that your stress levels come down naturally. When we are constantly stressed, there is inflammation in the gut. This inflammation leads to chaos and disharmony and moves us away from homeostasis. We need to be in homeostasis for our body’s intelligence to work. When we are not, the body’s intelligence is compromised, and we start getting sicker.
Globetrotting across different countries? Try this
When you travel to different countries, try having various foods and local cuisine. Walk in their parks, forested areas, and connect with nature. The more time you spend in nature, the stronger and more diverse your gut will be. Encourage your children to spend time in nature and breathe in different environments. Allow them to touch plants and trees safely. Touch pets if you are not allergic to them.
You can have the best allopathic, nutraceutical, homeopathy, or ayurvedic treatment. But if you are not in homeostasis because you’re too clean, stressed, sleep deprived, or eating the wrong foods, it will not help your gut.
Stop your obsession with cleanliness!
It’s a shame that we are so obsessed with cleanliness. All of us are trying to be too clean all the time. We don’t allow our kids to go play out in the mud. When we do this, we make them weaker and weaker. We keep sanitizing our hands constantly and wiping off microbes that can protect us.
Yes, maintain personal hygiene and take the necessary measures during a pandemic. But now that we have more or less moved to normalcy, you are better off using just soap and water. Of course, if you are in a situation where you do not have access to soap and clean water, use sanitizer. But break away from the habit of using it every 10 minutes.
Right now, on your skin are millions of microbes. These are designed to be there to protect you. When you start taking multiple baths and showers in a day and use chemical shampoos, soaps, and body washes, use a loofah to scrub off dirt – you are also wiping the microbes off. You are not only weakening your skin quality but also your immune system. Does this mean you should wait to get grimy and filthy? No. You also don’t need to be super clean. Get some dirt in the right way.
The bottom line
Don’t just be dependent on prebiotics and probiotics that work to treat your existing symptoms. Go deeper into your gut ecosystem and create the environment it also needs to communicate and get more intelligent. You can do this by connecting with nature.
When you do this, I can guarantee your gut will have the most natural and powerful pre-probiotic. We are products of nature, after all. The further we move away from nature, the more chaos we have in our gut microbiome. The closer we align ourselves with nature, the more harmony we feel. That’s when the brilliant intelligence of our body starts to work for us. Try this and tell me how it worked for you.
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